Astray

It's easy to be lead astray, for the world is full of much temptation. Where we walk, our footsteps are heard, and impressions are made. Even as we are oblivious to much, many are watching.

The corridors have traps and the road welcomes tribulation. Situation after situation will challenge us, hurt us or mend our broken hearts. We may not be ready, but life moves forward, regardless of what we believe or want.

In all things, God remains. Wherefore you tread, He is present. So, if you are lead astray, look to your soul, your inner man, for guidance and God will answer.

I walk a tough road, and receive correction at every step. I am hearing God speak, but I pray for better interpretation. Maybe my footsteps drown out His voice.

Much Illumination

Starting over has been...challenging. Seems I've come full circle.

Much illumination comes with frustrating circumstances. When the lights are turned on, they often reveal things we aren't ready to see, things that we never even knew were there in the first place.  Surprises.

I shake my head at it.  Seems insurmountable sometimes.  Still, I do not lose heart.  Even as the doors are slammed in my face, I look for the lesson in it all.  I placed myself here, believing in what God can do when you rely and believe in Him.  Therefore, I have no choice but to trust in His plan and let him guide my steps.

My last interview was at NORC, the National Opinion Research Center.  I interviewed for one of their service desk positions.  They declined to offer me a job because I didn't have enough Active Directory experience.  Fair enough.  But it was a great interview, nonetheless.

God bless the downtrodden.

The Staircase

Ascending the steps of winding staircase, its warm carmel wood shown worn smooth, years of slender caress made it so, I begin to slow my pace.  I pause and look up, the steps creaking with my weight, and I wonder what is there, higher on.

What causes us to wait, and not press on?  Fear of the future?  Do we avoid success? Are we too cowardly to face uncertainty, rather surrounding ourselves with the familiar and safe?

Do not die inside, wondering what could be, before you've ever set your eyes forward and fought to your goal.

   

The Fallacy of Time?

You can at least notice it, bit by bit.  You can notice how time creeps forward, edging itself into your space, creating the inevitable discomfort with your location and who you are; who you have become. Honestly, I find it intriguing to read that some physicists believe that time is a fallacy.  They say that it is nothing more that a mental construct that catalogs moments of change.

It's hard to wrap your mind around such a thing, because, quite frankly, most people don't have the mental capacity to be physicists.  Most people avoid thinking altogether. Fine with me. Ignorance is bliss, as they say.  Guess that's why I find myself wrestling with life: because I'm not stupid, and I won't fall for just anything.

Dialing it back a little, I'll say that if time is a fallacy, then God is the reality.  He must exist outside of time, in whatever form he is in, doing whatever he must do. Yet, even as he exists outside of time, I know he resides in all of us.

Texas Judge Warns of a Possible Civil War...

[(CNN) -- An elected county judge in Texas is warning that the nation could descend into civil war if President Barack Obama is re-elected, and is calling for a trained, well-equipped force to battle the United Nations troops he says Obama would bring in.
The comments by Lubbock County Judge Tom Head, who oversees emergency planning efforts, were broadcast by CNN affiliate KJTV. He made similar remarks on radio station FOX Talk 950.
Saying that as the county's emergency management coordinator he has to "think about the very worst thing that can happen and prepare for that and hope and pray for the best," Head told radio host Jeff Klotzman that he believes "in this political climate and financial climate, what is the very worst thing that could happen right now? Obama gets back in the White House. No. God forbid."
Referring to unexplained "executive orders" and other documents that Obama and "his minions have filed," Head said, "regardless of whether the Republicans take over the Senate, which I hope they do, he is going to make the United States Congress and he's going to make the Constitution irrelevant. He's got his czars in place that don't answer to anybody."
Obama, Head said, will "try to give the sovereignty of the United States away to the United Nations. What do you think the public's going to do when that happens? We are talking civil unrest, civil disobedience, possibly, possibly civil war ... I'm not talking just talking riots here and there. I'm talking Lexington, Concord, take up arms, get rid of the dictator. OK, what do you think he is going to do when that happens? He is going to call in the U.N. troops, personnel carriers, tanks and whatever."
Head vowed to personally stand "in front of their personnel carriers and say, 'You're not coming in here.' And I've asked the sheriff. I said, 'Are you going to back me on this?' And he said, 'Yeah, I'm going to back you.' Well, I don't want a bunch of rookies back there who have no training and little equipment. I want seasoned veteran people who are trained that have got equipment. And even then, you know we may have two or three hundred deputies facing maybe a thousand U.N. troops. We may have to call out the militia."
Sheriff Kelly Rowe told KJTV there had been no conversation about such a civil war scenario. The two have discussed contingencies for emergency management, he said.
KJTV reported that the warning was linked to taxes. Head "indicates a tax increase is needed to shore up law enforcement to protect us," the station reported, adding that a tax increase is under consideration that "would largely benefit the district attorney and sheriff's offices. But the emphasis is more on salary competitiveness than doomsday scenarios."
Head made his controversial remarks Tuesday.
On Wednesday at a county commissioner meeting, he emphasized that his remarks were about "worst case scenario in my opinion," and added, "Do I think those are going to happen? Probably not."
County Commissioner Gilbert Flores told KJTV he was "ashamed" of Head's remarks, and told the judge, "I think you better plan to go fishing pretty soon."
Attorney Rod Hobson jokingly put up U.N. flags outside his Lubbock office, KJTV reported. "When I saw the story I thought, once again, Lubbock is going to be the laughingstock of the entire nation," said Hobson. "What makes it so sad is he is our elected county judge, who is in charge of a multi-million dollar budget. That is scary. It's like the light's on, but no one is home... I'd just like to think he's off his meds."
But video from the Wednesday meeting showed at least one citizen supporting him. "Judge Head, thank you, and God bless," one citizen said.
Head did not immediately respond to an e-mail or phone call to his office Thursday morning.
KJTV reported that an aide to Head said the judge will not be commenting for one or two days.]

A possible civil war? This dude has got to be off his rocker.  I have never heard such over-the-top, ludicrous and downright inflammatory remarks from an elected official.  It is no surprise that this guy is from Texas.  Not to say that Texas is bad at all, but there's just something about the audacity of individuals that reside there. I'm not going to go into a history of godawful remarks, but I'm sure there are plenty with Bush as a resident.  I have friends and family that live in Texas, and I know it's a great state, just not really happy with this gentleman and his thinking.  Out of all the things that he could have said, he slides into "Civil War" like it's a casual comment.  No sir.  This is serious and borderline treason.  Basically, he's threatening the President's regime because he is unhappy with the way things are going.  Honestly, Texas' economy is thriving.  The economy has been boosted as well in this country, just not as much as people would like. Obama has inherited a problem and worked to make it better.  I can't say I agree with everything he has done, but I'm not gonna sit around and say it's gonna be a civil war type of atmosphere just because he's re-elected. Dubya was re-elected even when he had drawn us into this bogus war, and I wouldn't dare say something like this.  As a matter of fact, I don't recall anyone spouting "civil war" during his term in office.  At this point, it's seems like folks are making these comments because he's African-American, not because he's made some mistakes.  People are really getting out of place with their remarks, and basically getting away with disrespecting the President's role constantly.  This has to stop.  If this isn't about race and disrespect, then what is it about.  It sure doesn't seem like it's just loose talk.  These are mean spirited comments that have no grounds.  He has been disrespected more than any other President, and he continues to be.  As racism continues to surface throughout the country, I'm wondering what else will happen...seems like Pandora's box is completely open anyway.

This guy basically called for a force to battle the U.N. troops that would be called in...I'm becoming increasingly worried about my well-being in this country.

Self: Realized

"Self-realization is an expression used in psychology, spirituality and Eastern religions. The basic premise of self-realization is that there exists an authentic self which has to be discovered by psychological or spiritual self-striving. Self-realization can be a gradual or instantaneous phenomena depending on the school of thought but in all cases it involves extensive preparation of mind and emotions to recognize self-realization when it occurs. 

Self-realization is a maturing of the ego or personality to accept its own evanescence and thus allow space for the true Self to reveal itself. The moon veiled by clouds is an apt metaphor for the Self's apparent absence in our everyday lives. The dissolution of the ego's obsessive, internal pre-occupations with its psycho-somatic complexes frees the psyche's energy to directly experience Reality of the world as it is, free of any assumptions." 

What do you really know about yourself?  To be perfectly honest, most of us live sedentary lives that don't allow for much physical or mental strain.  Life is actually easy when you think about it.  We aren't threatened with physical harm, most of us aren't starving (especially U.S. citizens, where most of us are overweight) and there isn't much desire to push beyond what we experience on a daily basis.  We are content with our homes and families, poor health and improper diets.  We are at ease with sub-par education, lackluster dreams, ironic reality shows, conceited, self-gratifying social icons and money hoarding corporations to the point that we can't see how negatively they affect us.  On and on, we plod through life, sadly apathetic to what is surrounding us.  We are accepting misery.

There was a time when people were aware of what was at stake.  We took a stand for family, friends and God.  All people, not just the so-called Black people (a misnomer still, that I will always shun).  Our neighborhoods were solid, and we looked out for one another.  Now, we seem to mistrust ourselves and live is fear of each other.  We prey on each other, robbing, hurting, even killing those that are in the same predicament.  Then, we say we want better, but only show our worst sides.  Truly, it is like we don't want to be more, it is like we accept that we can only be less.  The government herds us into "projects" as to keep us from those parts of the city that are reserved for the more educated, privileged individuals.  How can one ignore this?  Is it just in the mind of an individual to resign to defeat, simply because of his situation?

I am saddened.  Today I see myself returning to the best of who I am, reclaiming my mind and body from the  edge of insanity.  To do this, my spirit speaks to my soul and they cooperate, unified, to work towards this goal.  It has been a long time since I've been so clear in my thoughts, but being self-realized grants this attribute.  I cannot go back; will not go back.  In 2001, I achieved this state prematurely, only to lose it in my immaturity and confusion.  This time, I will follow this path to the end.  I will speak up for those who have no voice.  I will show that injustice exists.  I will maintain healthy balance.  I will show others how to come into themselves and overcome.

Have you done your best?  Tried your best?  Even if it is not your best, have you tried at all?  What do you think you are? Who do you think you are?  These questions need to be answered.  I encourage you to find out.

God sings, and I hear Him.  I hear Him.  There is nothing like this feeling.

Compromise

Should never be willing to compromise your dreams for anyone, especially if that person is not willing to give anything of themselves to constitute a true compromise. I am still traveling, doing, working, watching and just being...so I have much to learn. However, it doesn't take being 70 years-old to see what mistakes you've made, what things to avoid and how to progress towards your goal. With age comes wisdom, but one should be able to refer to the wisdom of others to gain guidance. The Bible is a great, living tool that people overlook these days because they think that this society has outgrown its words. But, even as our society changes, the principles outlined in the Bible will always respond to the human condition. There is nothing new under the sun, and the same things we faced back then, man is still facing today. In walking towards your dreams, don't forget to lean on that ancient wisdom for support. All of us need help, but don't be so stubborn that you think you know everything. Blessings be upon you.